


An Unlucky Pairing

by caffeinatedmendes



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caffeinatedmendes/pseuds/caffeinatedmendes
Summary: “Okay. Next pair, Peter and Michelle.” Peter’s head snapped up, and he could feel his eyes widening... He tried to muster some kind of smile, but the churning in his stomach didn’t help. How was Peter supposed to even speak to her in that kind of informal setting?
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	An Unlucky Pairing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first MJ and Peter fic, so I'm really excited to dive deep into this Marvel world, as I've loved the comics and movies since I was little. I imagine this as a little bit before FFH, as it's in March, but I don't think it would fit well into the storyline haha :) Hopefully I made this dialogue really awkward. Who doesn't love awkward spideychelle? Is that how you'd use that ship name in a sentence?? Agh, anyway, kudos and comments are always appreciated!

“Good morning Midtown Tech! Today it’s me, Betty, bringing you your news, as my co-host is currently sick and is suffering from Senioritis.” Betty’s voice trailed on as Peter sat on his computer in AP Chemistry, watching videos of himself and several other Avengers. Class was going to start in a few minutes, but why not get a few videos in of amazing superhero action? 

After being mesmerized for several minutes, class started with his teacher especially annoyed this morning. Her voice snapped into calling out pairs for their upcoming science project. Peter dreaded this, as he had to meet with a random person several days a week, awkwardly researching and constructing their experiment when he could just do it by himself. It also cut into his time to watch and keep the neighborhood safe, but he couldn’t tell anyone but Ned that. Peter’s mind began to wander as he watched a familiar figure in front of him doodle on a scrap piece of paper. MJ’s harsh strokes of her pen could be heard, and she drew their teacher with horns on her head. Peter tried to keep his laughter inside.

“Okay. Next pair, Peter and Michelle.” Peter’s head snapped up, and he could feel his eyes widening. MJ’s head turned and she smirked at him, flipping him off out of their teacher’s sight. He tried to muster some kind of smile, but the churning in his stomach didn’t help. How was Peter supposed to even speak to her in that kind of informal setting? Peter only had really talked to MJ in Academic Decathlon meetings and practices, and the occasional comment when she sat at the end of their lunch table. He decided to just ask Ned and May about it, since they both knew of Peter’s big liking towards her.

The teacher had seemed to call them to meet in their groups for the rest of class, but Peter didn’t seem to notice until MJ sat across from him at the lab table, “What’s up, Parker?” 

Peter’s head snapped up again, and he stammered out, “H-hey MJ. Uh, what do you want to do our project on?” In the end, MJ had a great idea, inspired from a book she read, which involved a great long process and animal test subjects (they had to be approved for this, of course) and Peter went with it, not daring to contradict her. She was self-assured, another one of the great things he admired about her. That, and the fact that she was beautiful. He could gaze at her for hours on end and never get bored.

The day passed after their strange meeting, and Peter went about his usual routine. After relentless rain, the sun was out and shining. A rare kind of day in March. MJ was supposed to meet him at Aunt May’s at 8 PM sharp. After picking up his sandwich, extra pickles smushed down inside, he changed into his spidersuit, webbing his backpack to his new and much safer location, away from a burglar's eye. Nothing major happened that day in Queens. He helped the cops arrest a runaway from a red traffic light, and tied up a man who tried to steal a woman’s purse. He even took a picture with some little kids, and so that was his report for the evening.

Peter snuck back into his room around seven. May knew about Spiderman, sure, but it still wasn’t a good idea to walk into his apartment in his suit. Then everyone would know where Spiderman lived and who he was. Peter showered, and ate dinner quickly, asking May if he looked alright. He had on a hoodie and some jeans, and made sure to comb his hair. All she did was say that he looked great, which wasn’t a big help, but assuring nevertheless. 

At 8:00, there was a knock at the door. Peter had sat at his desk, books laying neatly on the tabletop when the hair on his neck stood. Bounding down the hallway, he yelled to May on the couch, “I’ll get it!” Opening the door, slightly breathless, MJ stood in front of Peter, a subtle smile on her face. “Hi, MJ,” Peter whispered.

She wore a black denim jacket, and a graphic tee with blue jeans, cut off at the ankles. No one had ever seen her without black converse on, and there they were, a signature of Michelle. “Hey Peter, hi, Mrs. Parker.” MJ looked past Peter and made a little wave with her hand. After their greetings, the two of them bounded up to Peter’s room. He couldn’t help but feel nervous. Peter had cleaned his room-even vacuumed-and folded every article of clothing, shutting his closet and most definitely hiding his suit.

With a creak, he opened the door, “Uh, you can sit at my desk or on my bed, wherever really, I don’t mind.” He chuckled, though it sounded muffled. MJ walked in and looked around. 

“I like it. Your room, I mean. It’s… cool.” MJ set her backpack near his bedside table, taking a seat at his desk.

Peter grinned, “Heh, thanks.” He cleared his throat, turning to his bed, where his folders were. “Um, so I’ve got the rubric here and some books I picked up at the library. We could probably get that research essay done by tonight and maybe a few other requirements, like our hypothesis, and um… yeah.” MJ just stared at him as he turned, and Peter felt suddenly, exposed. He didn’t know why, maybe it was that stare of hers - MJ did that a lot, stare at him… he pushed the thought aside and sat down on his bed, handing MJ a book as he opened his laptop for research.

An hour or two went by, the two of them working with the city sounds as background noise, occasionally pointing out something or sending a link to the other. MJ was a really good writer, actually, so Peter did most of the research. Only once did May come in, asking if they wanted any snacks or drinks. Peter could tell from the glances between MJ and him that she was trying to get him to sit closer to her. They were across the room from each other, but his room was tiny, so it didn’t count, he would tell himself. Around ten, May went to bed, turning off the TV in the living room. Peter knew she spent at least a half hour reading trashy romance books before bed, and he even told MJ that.

“How many does she read? Like a week?” She turned on his desk chair and crossed her arms, facing Peter, who sat against his headboard. 

Peter shrugged, “Maybe two? They’re really short but they have a tiny font. I think she has some secret compartment holding them, because whenever I walk into her room, there’s not a book in sight.” MJ laughed at this, making Peter’s face blush.

MJ turned back to her laptop, “Well, I’ve finished up the essay. We still have a lot of time before the entire experiment is due though, so we already are ahead.”Peter nodded. “It’s getting late, but if I’m being honest, I’m not tired. Do you, uh, want to go get ice cream or something?” She cleared her throat, “I mean, if you don’t want to you don’t have to.”

Peter had never seen MJ this unsure of herself. This must be what it’s like to talk to himself, he thought. He was always unsure of himself. “I do. Let’s go. Like now?”

“Uh, now? Sure.”

“Okay, sure.”

MJ and Peter walked down the dark street, past the people running late errands or workers coming home from their shifts. “The only place I know that’s open now is Delmar’s, but they have packaged ice cream only.” 

“That’s okay. I like the pint ones, you get more ice cream in it, cause the packaged ice cream ratio to the fresh ice cream ratio would cost you-” MJ shook her head, “Nevermind.”

Peter smiled, and looked at her, holding his hands together in front of him. “Packaged ice cream gives you more ice cream for a cheaper price, is that it?” MJ nodded, looking at her feet. 

Mr. Delmar was quite surprised to see that he had MJ with him. He even gave him a discount for the ice cream he bought. MJ thanked him and pet Murph, who seemed to like her very much. “See ya tomorrow, kid.” Mr. Delmar said on their way out.  
“See you, Mr. Delmar!” Peter grinned as he took his little plastic spoon and opened up his pint. The joys of cookies and cream was like no other. MJ had gotten mocha ice cream, which was also a favorite of Peter’s.

“He seems to really like you,” MJ looked at him as they walked back home. “Do you go there every day?”

Peter nodded, “Every school day,” and took another spoonful of ice cream. “MJ, uh, can I ask you a question?”

MJ eyed him carefully, maybe even with a little fear, “Yeah, sure.”

“Were you worried, when you got me as a lab partner?” They had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, though no one was really near them. 

“What do you mean, did you think I thought that you weren’t going to do anything? ‘Cause I didn’t.”

“Well, yeah kinda. Since I don’t really pay attention in class I thought maybe you’d think I was an idiot, and well, I kinda-” Peter felt MJ kiss him, and he felt not a dropping of his stomach, but maybe a tidal wave of realization. MJ kissed him. 

“Um, you’re like really smart without trying so, I wasn’t worried. But now I’m scared that maybe that wasn’t the right choice kissing you, so-” Returning the act, Peter mustered up all the courage he could and took the sleeve of her jacket, kissing MJ a little longer this time, just to understand what it actually felt like to kiss her. Her lips were soft, but warm and it seemed as though that warmth surged through him, making him feel more adrenaline than he would in a fight with Captain America. 

The two of them parted, and Peter took the smallest step back. The streetlights around them flickered. “I really hope that was the right choice, kissing you, uh, cause MJ, I’ve had feelings for you for a while now. And this sort of feeling I can’t really hide anymore because it’s getting hard enough keeping all these secrets, um this secret, I mean.”

MJ’s smile was reassuring to Peter, and she responded, “I feel the same, and I want to tell you that I’ve been keeping this for a while now too. And uh, I don’t know what else to say.”

Peter grinned, “Then I want to ask, should we meet again tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.” MJ nervously looked down and then back up to Peter.

“Great.”

“Yeah, great. 8 o’clock?”

“Yes. Tomorrow, 8 o’clock.”


End file.
